The fifth largest food poisoning outbreak of 2016 was the Salmonella Muenchen and Salmonella Kentucky outbreak linked to raw alfalfa sprouts. These sprouts came from one contaminated seed lot and were sold under various names. The sprouts were produced by multiple facilities, including Sweetwater Farms of Inman, Kansas.
At least 26 people in 12 states were sickened in this outbreak. Eight people were hospitalized. No deaths were reported. The case count by state was: Kansas (5), Maryland (2), Missouri (3), New Jersey (2), New York (2), North Carolina (1), North Dakota (1), Ohio (1), Oklahoma (3), Pennsylvania (3), Virginia (2), and Washington (1). Twenty-five people were sickened with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Muenchen, and 1 person was sickened with the outbreak strain of … [Read more...]

Colorado has been hard hit by a nine-state Salmonella outbreak linked to alfalfa sprouts from Sprouts Extraordinaire of Denver. Thirteen people from Colorado have been sickened in an outbreak that includes 17 others from eight states. Five people have been hospitalized.
Some of those sickened reported eating the contaminated sprouts at restaurants, but health officials have not released the names of those establishments. The sprouts, which have been recalled, were sold in 5-pound boxes labeled “Living Alfalfa Sprouts.”
Illnesses, which have been linked to two strains -Salmonella Reading and Salmonella Abony, were reported from May 21 to July 20 from case patients who range in age from less than 1 year to 72. The case count by state is as follows: Colorado (13), Kansas (8), … [Read more...]

An alfalfa sprouts Salmonella outbreak (sproutbreak) has struck Kansas for the second time in six months. Eight people from Kansas are among the 30 sickened in nine states in an outbreak linked to contaminated alfalfa sprouts from Sprouts Extraordinaire in Denver.
Many of those sickened, ate the contaminated sprouts at restaurants, but health officials have not released the names of those establishments. Five people have been hospitalized.
A recall has been issued for the sprouts which are tainted with two strains: Salmonella Reading and Salmonella Abony. Onset of illness dates range from May 21 to July 20. States reporting illnesses include: Colorado (13), Kansas (8), Minnesota (1), Missouri (1), Nebraska (2), New York (1), Oregon (1), Texas (1) and Wyoming (1).
In February, … [Read more...]

Alfalfa sprouts have been linked to a nine-state Salmonella outbreak that has sickened 30 people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Many of those sickened reported eating the contaminated sprouts at restaurants, but health officials have not released the names of those establishments. Five people have been hospitalized.
Epidemiologic and traceback evidence indicates that alfalfa sprouts from Sprouts Extraordinaire of Denver are the likely source of this outbreak, according to the CDC. The company today issued a recall for the sprouts which were sold in 5-pound boxes labeled "Living Alfalfa Sprouts." Health officials say restaurants and other retailers should not serve the recalled sprouts.
The outbreak includes two strains. Twenty four people have … [Read more...]

The Salmonella outbreak linked to alfalfa sprouts has ended after sickening 26 people in 12 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Eight people were hospitalized.
State and federal health officials initially identified Sweetwater Farms of Inman, Kansas as the source of the outbreak, but have since discovered that the source of the outbreak was a contaminated seed lot used by multiple sprouters.
The CDC has not released information on the outbreak since it was first announced on February 23, 2016. At that time, 13 people in four states were infected with the outbreak strain Salmonella Muenchen: in Kansas (5), Missouri (3), Oklahoma (3), and Pennsylvania (2). And state and federal health officials said traceback investigations from multiple … [Read more...]

E. coli lawsuit questions and answers about chronic food poisoning outbreaks linked to alfalfa sprouts were fielded this week by a roundtable of lawyers in the Minneapolis offices of PritzkerHageman Attorneys, a national firm that practices extensively in the area of foodborne illness litigation.
The discussion, conducted by Food Poisoning Bulletin, centered on two multi-state, sprout-related outbreaks of Salmonella and E. coli in 2016. The latest of the outbreaks was uncovered by the Minnesota Department of Health and investigated by FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). On March 2, the CDC reported that seven Minnesotans and two residents of Wisconsin were infected by the same strain of E. coli O157, traced to alfalfa sprouts grown at Jack & the Green … [Read more...]

A team of E. coli food poisoning lawyers from PritzkerHageman Attorneys met in Minneapolis today to urge all restaurants, food co-ops, grocery stores, deli operators, food trucks, lunch counters and other retailers to place warning labels on any food item containing raw sprouts. The attorneys reissued their nationwide call for mandatory consumer warnings on raw sprouts in the wake of two multi-state outbreaks in the first two months of 2016. One of the sprout outbreaks involves toxic E. coli and the other involves Salmonella.
“We are calling for a mandatory consumer warning any place where raw sprouts are sold,’’ said attorney Fred Pritzker, founder and president of the firm, one of the very few U.S. law firms practicing extensively in the area of foodborne illness … [Read more...]

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Has updated their investigation into an E. coli O157 (STEC O157) outbreak in Minnesota and Wisconsin linked to recalled Jack & the Green Sprouts alfalfa and alfalfa onion sprouts products. Seven people are sick in Minnesota, and two in Wisconsin. Two people in Minnesota have been hospitalized, but no one has reported hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a type of kidney failure.
On February 25, 2016, Jack and the Green Sprouts voluntarily recalled all alfalfa and alfalfa onion sprout products. These products do not have a long shelf life, so hopefully consumers will not have them in their homes. If you do, throw them away and clean out your refrigerator with a mild bleach solution, then wash your hands thoroughly with soap and … [Read more...]

Every time a food is recalled for possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination, the advice from food safety experts is to clean out the fridge with a mild bleach solution, since that bacteria can grow at refrigerator temperatures. Now, the FDA is recommending that anyone who bought alfalfa sprouts from Sweetwater Farms LLC should do the same.
Their advice is to wash the inside walls and shelves of the refrigerator, cutting boards, and countertops, then sanitize them with a solution of one tablespoon of chlorine bleach to one gallon of hot water; and dry with a clean cloth or paper towel that has not been previously used. Of course, cleaning your refrigerator regularly is important for food safety in general, but this advice is unusual with foods that may be contaminated with Salmonella … [Read more...]

Three people in the state of Missouri have been sickened in the multistate Salmonella Muenchen outbreak linked to Sweetwater Farms raw alfalfa sprouts. Five ill persons have been hospitalized in this outbreak, but we don't know whether any of them are from Missouri. So far, thirteen people have been sickened so far.
Collaborative investigations have indicated that alfalfa sprouts produced by Sweetwater Farms of Inman, Kansas are a likely source of this outbreak. Laboratory testing isolated Salmonella bacteria from samples of irrigation water and from alfalfa sprouts collected during a recent inspection at Sweetwater Farms. Test results on whether those bacteria are the outbreak strain are pending.
Public health officials have interviewed twelve people and found that 10 of them, or … [Read more...]